COARSE ANGLER..vol 13. no 6..NOV 1989

[Tizer]

Wow I had forgotten about the story back in the day of Martin Gay (well known pike angler) and the massive 48lb common and loads of other big carp that he caught, the rumours round the Lea Valley at the time were that he had caught it from abroad, if I remember right he would not tell anyone anything about it for fear of the damage it would do to the fish and the lake which he had caught it from, he had found what everyone is looking for, ie a lake that no one fished and is full of monster fish. happy days....If you have the mag it is well worth a read.

[Olly]

Allegedly caught in Canada!

[Ian.R.McDonald]

A great fisherman and one of my heroes. And sadly not around to tell us the full story

[Tengisgol]

They were strange times of amazing truths mixed in with outright lies and mischievousness.

I think it was John Bailey who talked about reporting a big roach as from the Bure, people believed it came from the Yare (because he’d never show a picture of a fish from the Wensum to keep his secrets), when in fact it came from the Wensum all along.

I also heard tales of a well known angler driving around with two big roach in a bucket just so as to have a photo taken at a different location…only to go there the following week and catch a bigger one…

[Tony.J.Newman]

I got to know Martin quite well for a while, lost touch before the Carp thing though.

[Olly]

There still are strange goings on!

This event also came as a big surprise to me!

There was someone who recognised a plant in one of the pictures who stated that allegedly it only grew in north North America - Canada.

[Tizer]

i bumped into him a few times while piking,If I remember right didn't he get to fish Abbo before anyone else? Or was he the only one to get to pike up by the tower?

[Ian.R.McDonald]

They were strange times of amazing truths mixed in with outright lies and mischievousness.

I think it was John Bailey who talked about reporting a big roach as from the Bure, people believed it came from the Yare (because he’d never show a picture of a fish from the Wensum to keep his secrets), when in fact it came from the Wensum all along.

I also heard tales of a well known angler driving around with two big roach in a bucket just so as to have a photo taken at a different location…only to go there the following week and catch a bigger one…

I caught a couple of decent pike from a London reservoir with a very distinctive valve tower.,I was pleased to get some photos in Angling Times. I was enjoying a Pike Society meeting in north london until I was cornered by two large gentlemen in the loo. They " suggested" I should not publish any more reports!

[Tizer]

I think that whether or not you like it that has to be the way with pike fishing, Pike more than any other fish suffer from publicity ,It happens all the time, someone catch's a big pike , not content with the pleasure that catching a big pike (20lb +) brings, they put it on f******k everyone goes down there and within no time at all that pike is dead...it has happened 4 or 5 times in the last few years since I moved down this way,I had a big pike last winter, I was over the moon, not just because I caught her but also (maybe mainly) because no one knows about it,it was at the end of winter and I thought , at least she should have the whole summer without being fished for,HOPEFULLY.

[Ian.R.McDonald]

I think that whether or not you like it that has to be the way with pike fishing, Pike more than any other fish suffer from publicity ,It happens all the time, someone catch's a big pike , not content with the pleasure that catching a big pike (20lb +) brings, they put it on f******k everyone goes down there and within no time at all that pike is dead...it has happened 4 or 5 times in the last few years since I moved down this way,I had a big pike last winter, I was over the moon, not just because I caught her but also (maybe mainly) because no one knows about it,it was at the end of winter and I thought , at least she should have the whole summer without being fished for,HOPEFULLY.

I agree and having caught the same lower double 4 times in six weeks ( from a wide area )its true about multiple catches.
It was the method of delivery that the way in which the " suggestion" was delivered that I was concerned about! ( me being on a " borrowed" ticket reduced my argument)